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Minnetonka at We Day Minnesota

On October 8th students from across the state had the opportunity to attend Minnesota’s first ever We Day event. Minnetonka Student Correspondent Nick Raap joined the press team at We Day to cover this inspiring event for the Minnetonka blog. Read Nick’s recap of this special one day event below!

Queen Noor of Jordan onstage at We Day Minnesota 2013

Minnetonka We Day Student Correspondent: Nick Raap

We Day – There is no event more inspiring and meaningful. Every student who is there has earned their way through service to see an awesome line up of speakers and performers! They have given their time and effort to help others, whether it be planning a trip abroad to build a school or collecting books for children, they have done something meaningful. And after all of their hard work, We Day is their reward!

Free The Children co-founders Craig and Marc Kielburger Photo Courtesy of Michael Rajzman/Free The Children

We Day and We Act are initiatives of Free the Children an international charity and educational partner founded in 1995 by Craig and Marc Kielburger after they read the story of Iqbal Masih in a local paper. Iqbal was born in Pakistan to a very poor family. At age 4, he was sold into slavery by his family for the equivalent of $12 dollars. He was chained to a carpet for 14 hours a day, 7 days a week, for 6 years.

At age 10 he escaped and started to speak out about child labor. Two years later, Iqbal was murdered. His story went worldwide, and it was that story that Craig and Marc used to start Free the Children. Today, Free the Children has grown and We Day is one of the world’s largest charitable organizations, with over 3.2 million fans on Facebook.

Robin Wiszowaty and Mia Farrow both in Minnetonka at We Day Photo Courtesy of Michael Rajzman/Free The Children

Stories like Iqbal’s are the types of inspiring stories that many speakers at We Day shared with 18,000 students. Speakers like Martin Luther King III, who shared his father’s message of freedom and equality. He gave hope to the crowd by saying if his mother and father were still alive, they would be championing the We Day cause.

Or when Mia Farrow told everyone that when she was a young star with her own TV show, she was miserable. She said that she had bounced around for a few years, trying to find a purpose in her life before she found Free the Children and her calling.

The Kenyan Boys Choir performing in their Minnetonka Mocs! Photo Courtesy of Michael Rajzman/Free The Children

Many of the speakers at We Day had a common theme in their speech- that all of the 18,000 people present were the leaders of tomorrow. Barbara Bush said “I am here today because I believe that young people are the fundamental key to success”, echoing Marilyn Carlson when she said that “this whole event (We Day) is because we believe in you.” And they are right. Those 18,000 people, they are the future; they will be the leaders of tomorrow. They are the new ‘Great Generation’. Not a generation of Me, but a generation of We!